Intergovernmental Organizations

The following is a list of intergovernmental organizations with which the Town participates, with links to these organizations if available.

Boulder County Consortium of Cities

The Boulder County Commissioners created the Boulder County Consortium of Cities in 1986 as a forum to promote regional communication and cooperation among county, city, and town governments in Boulder County. The Consortium finds common ground and works collaboratively on regional issues by spearheading numerous cooperative programs for affordable housing, energy, revenue stability, open space, regional trails, transportation, solid waste, and more. The Consortium's ultimate purpose is to benefit all Boulder County residents by fostering collaborative action among city, town and county government on issues of mutual concern. The Consortium is comprised of representatives from every city and town in Boulder County, as well as a County Commissioner who chairs the organization.

The Town Board met with the Boulder County Commissioners on August 10, 2017, and reviewed this handout regarding areas of collaboration.

Colorado Municipal League

The Colorado Municipal League (CML) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing 265 of the 270 incorporated municipalities in Colorado. CML is a powerful advocate for local government interests at the Colorado State Legislature and before state administrative and judicial bodies. CML also weighs in on federal issues of concern to local government. CML provides leadership training for elected officials, and other education and informational services, and hosts an annual conference in June.

CML's Policy Committee provides general policy direction for CML staff in its lobbying efforts. In addition, CML has numerous other committees that focus on specific issues, such as energy, water, and conference planning.

CML is a critical partnership for the Town. While Boulder-area legislators are usually supportive of Town issues, they account for only a small percentage of the 100 policymakers. With support from CML, the Town is able to reach all 100 legislators on issues such as photo radar, energy efficiency, growth, taxation and local control issues. While there are times when the Town and CML are not in complete agreement on policy, many of the issues affecting Superior also impact other local governments and CML allows the Town to work together to make a stronger statement.

Denver Regional Council of Governments

The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) is a voluntary association of 52 county and municipal governments in the greater Denver metropolitan region. DRCOG is the metropolitan planning organization for the region, responsible for identifying future transportation needs. While DRCOG does not have the authority to dictate land use decisions, it is the designated transportation planning and fund disbursement agency for transportation dollars in the region. The control over federal funds allows DRCOG to influence the shape of regional growth. DRCOG performs other regional services such as coordinating federal support for aging programs, performing regional demographic reports, and developing a regional open space plan. DRCOG is responsible for creation of Metro Vision 2035, the region’s long-term plan for growth. A major update of the regional plan to 2040 is planned, and DRCOG has initiated a regional sustainability project that may initially update the 2035 plan to include climate change and the reduction in greenhouse gases. DRCOG is also responsible for the Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) for the region. Each municipality can request funding for a certain number of projects. Projects are then scored on predetermined criteria, with funding going to the highest-scoring projects. DRCOG’s Transportation Advisory Committee recommends criteria for funding and scoring.

Metro Mayors Caucus

The Metro Mayors Caucus is a cooperative alliance of the mayors of 37 cities and towns in the Denver metropolitan region. The Caucus is a unique collaboration of elected officials providing leadership and creative solutions on some of the most challenging issues in the region. The Caucus has emerged as a voice for collective action on issues that affect the entire metropolitan area and cannot be effectively addressed by any one jurisdiction acting alone.

The Caucus is unique among regional organizations because of its commitment to decision making by consensus. Consensus has been the foundation of its success for the past thirteen years. This practice has enabled the Caucus to develop positions and implement initiatives that have led to positive change in the entire metro area. Among the issues the Caucus has tackled are growth management, multi-modal transportation, affordable housing, regional response to emergencies, and intergovernmental cooperation.

National League of Cities

The National League of Cities is the oldest and largest national organization representing municipal governments throughout the United States. Its mission is to strengthen and promote cities as centers of opportunity, leadership, and governance.

Working in partnership with the 49 state municipal leagues, the National League of Cities serves as a resource to and an advocate for the more than 19,000 cities, villages, and towns it represents. More than 1,600 municipalities of all sizes pay dues to NLC and actively participate as leaders and voting members in the organization.

Resource Conservation Advisory Board

Originally formed in 1994 as the Boulder County Recycling and Composting Authority, the Resource Conservation Advisory Board (RCAB) was established to oversee the Boulder County Recycling and Composting Tax, building and development of the Boulder County Recycling Center, and establishment of the Boulder County Waste Diversion Education and Infrastructure Grant Program. When the county recycling tax sunset in 2000, RCAB became an advisory board to the Boulder Board of County Commissioners recommending waste diversion policy. This includes overseeing management of the Recycling Center and reviewing Education and Infrastructure Grant applications.

Rocky Flats Stewardship Council

The Rocky Flats Stewardship Council (RFSC) formed in February 2006 to provide ongoing local government and community oversight of the post-closure management of Rocky Flats, the former nuclear weapons plant northwest of Denver.

The nearly $7 billion cleanup project was completed in October 2005 and represents an important legacy for Boulder and other surrounding communities. Cleanup significantly reduced the many risks posed by the former weapons site. There are, however, ongoing management needs that remain vital to ensuring long-term protection of human health and the environment. Those responsibilities lie with the Department of Energy (DOE). In June 2007, DOE transferred 3,953 acres of the former site buffer zone to the Department of the Interior to manage as the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge.

RFSC's mandate is found in federal law. In late 2004, the United States Congress, working with the Department of Energy and RFSC's predecessor organization, the Rocky Flats Coalition of Local Governments (RFCLOG), approved legislation creating a new organization to focus on the post-closure care and management of Rocky Flats. This organization, the Rocky Flats Stewardship Council, includes elected officials from nine municipal governments neighboring Rocky Flats, three community organizations and one individual.

Urban Drainage and Flood Control District

The Urban Drainage and Flood Control District (District) was established by the Colorado legislature in 1969 for the purpose of assisting local governments in the Denver metropolitan area with multi-jurisdictional drainage and flood control problems. The District covers an area of 1,608 square-miles and includes Denver, parts of six surrounding counties, and all or parts of 32 incorporated cities and towns. There are about 1,600-miles of "major drainageways," which are defined as draining at least 1,000 acres. The population of the District is approximately 2.3 million people.

The District is an independent agency governed by a 23-member board of directors. The make-up of the board is unique, in that 21 members are locally elected officials (mayors, county commissioners, City Council members) who are appointed to the board. These 23 members then select two registered professional engineers to fill out the board.

U.S. 36 Mayors & Commissioners Coalition

The MCC was created during the U.S. 36 Major Investment Study (MIS) which was worked on from 1998 to 2001. The MIS was the first hurdle in making the improvements to the highway eligible for federal funding. The MCC recommended improvements along US 36 in early 2001, then successfully lobbied for the $15 million needed for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to identify multi-modal transportation improvements between Denver and Boulder. Since then, the MCC has worked on the EIS and on looking for federal, state, RTD and local funds for construction costs. Furthermore, the MCC has supported inclusion of rail and BRT in the FasTracks program and funding of incremental improvements that contribute to corridor build-out. The MCC includes Boulder County and the cities of Boulder, Broomfield, Louisville, Superior and Westminster. A related organization is 36 Commuting Solutions, a non-profit public/private membership organization working to enhance mobility along the U.S. 36 corridor for today and the future.

WestConnect

The purpose of WestConnect is to develop a comprehensive and coordinated plan that will be used to inform Jefferson County residents of the benefits of completing segments of the "Western Beltway" to the rest of the facility, gauge support for completing these connections, determine the best way to fund the improvements, and develop a plan for implementing the improvements.

Commuting Solutions

Commuting Solutions is a non-profit public/private membership organization working to enhance mobility along the U.S. 36 corridor for today and the future. Members include Boulder, Boulder County, Longmont, Superior, Louisville, Broomfield, Westminster and nearly fifty private sector businesses that support and advocate for the policy direction of the U.S. 36 Mayors and Commissioners Coalitions. Commuting Solutions also works to educate corridor employers of their transportation options and to expand Transportation Demand Management services in the corridor.